Hoosier Huddle's Old Oaken Bucket Game Day Primer
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Written by T.J. Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)
Week Thirteen Primer – Purdue Boilermakers
What: Indiana Hoosiers (5-6) vs. Purdue Boilermakers (5-6)
Where: Memorial Stadium
When: Saturday, November 24 at Noon
How to Watch: The game will be broadcast on ESPN2. You can also listen to the legendary Don Fischer on the radio on any IU Radio Network station.
What’s at Stake: The stakes could hardly be bigger as both teams are sitting at 5-6, needing one victory to reach bowl eligibility. In addition, the rivalry between the two schools has heated up recently as the pair have clashed over recruits and Purdue seized the Old Oaken Bucket back a season ago after a few years of Indiana dominance. Tom Allen is 0-1 against Jeff Brohm after last season’s disappointing contest in West Lafayette. Is this Jeff Brohm’s last game as Purdue’s head coach? Can the Hoosiers take the Bucket back and reach their first bowl game of the Tom Allen era?
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Things to Watch
1. Playing With Urgency
The Indiana Hoosiers have failed to start well in a number of games this season. It was a huge problem in last year’s Bucket Game as well as Purdue jumped on the Hoosiers in the first quarter and were never truly threatened afterwards. David Blough has played much better this season when he has a good start and can get into a rhythm so it is critical for Indiana to have a strong start on the defensive side of the ball and prevent Blough from getting comfortable. IU also needs to make sure they maintain the aggressiveness on offense we have seen recently. Keep attacking down the field and give Nick Westbrook, Donavan Hale and others chances to make plays on the ball.
2. Slowing Down the Boilers
Purdue’s offense has been quite effective for most of the season. They have had some hiccups though and those have mainly come on the road (see Minnesota and Michigan State). Superstar freshman Rondale Moore is dangerous and it is imperative that Indiana prevents him from taking over the game. He will make some plays but preventing his 15-20 yard gains from turning into 60-75 yard gains is key. DJ Knox and Markell Jones are a capable backfield duo and David Blough can beat you with his arms or his legs (if you don’t pay attention to him back there, much like Peyton Ramsey). Isaac Zico and tight end Brycen Hopkins are the other prominent weapons for this offense. Hopkins is concerning because IU has struggled to cover tight ends in the middle of the field. The big tight end is very capable of hurting the Hoosiers for big plays. Pressuring Blough to keep him from getting comfortable and keeping Purdue from turning average plays into explosive ones are paramount factors for the Hoosiers defense.
3. Steamroll the Purdue Defense
Purdue’s defense has been particularly ineffective since losing safety Jacob Thieneman to injury. They were embarrassed by Minnesota and then got run all over by Jonathan Taylor and the Wisconsin Badgers last week. The secondary has some skilled players and they are an average Big Ten group but the run defense has been very suspect and it has to be an area IU feels they can exploit. Stevie Scott should be heavily featured and the Indiana offensive line needs to have a great outing. Peyton Ramsey must continue to throw downfield and it would be great to see him use his legs effectively, as he did last week at Michigan. This Purdue defense is there for the taking, the Indiana offense must step up and execute.
What the Sharps are Saying
The Vegas line favors Purdue by 3.5 points and ESPN’s FPI gives Purdue a 63.1-percent chance of a win. Home underdogs are usually a good play and IU has played much better since their open week, but rivalry games are always a little funky.
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